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The Ancient World on Television             February 21-27, 2005
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All times Eastern

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n.b. official descriptions are provided by the respective
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Monday, February 21
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6.00 p.m. |HISTU| Digging for the Truth: The Holy Grail
For all its fame, the Holy Grail remains shrouded in mystery. What exactly was it? Could it have survived to this day? Why has it inspired so many treasure seekers? To Christians, it is the holiest of objects, the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, also believed to be the chalice that Joseph of Arimathea used to catch Christ's blood as he died on the cross. Though now thought of as a goblet, the actual word "grail" comes to us from the Latin word gradalis--a flat dish or shallow vessel brought to the table during various courses of a meal. The story itself did not originate until medieval times, when it helped inflame the Crusaders' quest. Host and adventurer Josh Bernstein follows the Grail's trail from Holy Land to medieval French castles to a dark chapter in the Nazi saga, when Hitler financed a search for the Grail to unite a secret society of knights. On the way, Josh learns its true meaning and power.

7.00 p.m. |BIO| Pompeii: Buried Alive
Exploration of the archaeological site of the city that was encrusted by incendiary ash when deadly Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Archaeological director Baldasarre Conticello takes viewers on a tour of Pompeii's ruins, and visits Herculaneum, which was destroyed by Vesuvius at the same time.

9.00 p.m. |HISTU|Digging for the Truth: The Iceman Cometh
In 1991, a pair of vacationing German hikers stumbled onto one of the most remarkable finds in the history of archaeology: the perfectly preserved body of a 5,000-year old man. What made the discovery so important was more than just his state of physical preservation, but also the period of time from which he came--the very cusp of the age between stone and steel. Host and adventurer Josh Bernstein heads for the high Alps on the Austrian-Italian border to discover the latest secrets revealed by the clothes, weaponry, and body of Ötzi the Iceman. Josh faces down a deadly blizzard, helicopters out of near disaster, and comes face-to-face with a stone-cold, stone-age killer. Along the way, he discovers that the Iceman is rewriting our ideas about the life of our ancestors at the dawn of civilization--and he learns much about the character of Ötzi!
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Tuesday, February 22
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3.00 p.m. |DISCC| Ancient Clues: Huaca de la Luna
Along the coast of northern Peru, a jumble of bones reveals the violent secret ceremonies of the Moche people.

3.30 p.m. |DISCC| Ancient Clues: Mass Death in Marseille
A work crew digging the foundation for a new apartment building comes across an ancient mass grave; scientists isolate the DNA of the infamous plague of 1720 which killed half the city in three months.

7.00 p.m. |HINT|  The Bible's Greatest Secrets
In the Holy Land, specialized archaeologists sift through the living sands to uncover civilizations that succumbed to time. We trace biblical archaeology's history and profile some of its prominent figures like the eccentric professor who had his head preserved for posterity, and a husband and wife team who have spent their lives digging the sands of Israel. We also explore the future of biblical archaeology and examine the high-tech tools that will someday make digging with pick and shovel obsolete.

8.00 p.m. |DISCU| Murder in the Old West/ The Turin Mummies
In Wyoming, the skeleton of a man was uncovered in a sand dune. John and Heather apply their skills in 21st century forensics to a long-cold case. Can they reconstruct the last moments of this man from the 1850s?

8.00 p.m. |DCIVC| The Priests of Amun
dna

9.00 p.m. |DCIVC| The Nile: The River of the Gods
dna

11.00 p.m. |HINT| The Sunken City
The ancient Roman city of Ostia was once a vital seaport. Yet it died a slow, painful death. This documentary explores the reasons for its demise and looks at the abandoned wasteland today.  
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Wednesday, February 23
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7.00 p.m. |HINT| Death Cult of the Incas
The Catholic conquistadors who conquered the Incas received many cultural shocks--particularly the Inca cult of the dead. We'll journey back to discover why the Incas held lavish banquets with mummified ancestors, sought their advice, and built lavish estates in their honor.
 
8.00 p.m. |HINT| The Forgotten Civilizations of Anatolia
Throughout the course of history, many great civilizations have flourished in the area we now identify as Turkey, which forms a natural bridge between Europe and Asia. Join us on a virtual tour of Gordiyon (also known as Gordium), the domain of King Midas, Hattusa, the famous Hittite capital with its spectacular royal citadel, and the later cities ruled by the Greeks during the days of the Byzantine Empire. Using state-of-the-art computer technology and the latest in archaeological exploration, we walk viewers through ancient sites along with the citizens of the time.  

8.00 p.m. |DTC| Pyramids Are Everywhere
Travel beyond Egypt to Java, China and Iraq to learn why civilizations around the globe constructed pyramids. Ancient people were striving to be closer to God and the laws of physics required them to start with a broad base as they built upward.

8.30 p.m. |HINT| Travels through Greece
By the 2nd century AD, Greece had long been steeped in myth, tradition, and a rich history that made it a major tourist destination even then. In this episode, we travel with a Roman senator as he journeys to artistic and cultural treasures of Greece, including Corinth's welcoming agora (the center of civic activity), the acoustically perfect Theater at Epidaurus, and the famous sporting competitions and chariot races of Olympia, as well as its majestic Temple of Zeus. Experience the cutting edge of archaeological exploration as we explore these celebrated ancient sites and see them as only the original inhabitants could.  
 
9.00 p.m. |HISTC|Beasts of the Roman Games
This program tells the story of how the Romans procured and transported thousands of wild animals from every corner of their Empire to feed the blood-thirsty sensationalism of "to the death" animal fights in Rome.

9.00 p.m. |DTC| Pyramid Builders
Discover the genius of a handful of men responsible for one of man's greatest achievements. Rulers like Egypt's Imhotep, China's Emperor Chin and Mayan ruler Yax K'uk Mo masterminded some of the most ambitious structures in history.

10.00 p.m. |HINT| Time Team: Thetford, Norfolk
Time Team goes back to school when they are invited to investigate a mystery at Thetford Grammar School in Norfolk, England, where clues in the school grounds may lead to the remains of a Norman cathedral and prove that the site might also have been the ancient ecclesiastical center of East Anglia. They are also assigned another task: to trace the origins of the medieval walls in the school playground. Were they part of a 14th-century friary? Can they solve the mysteries in the 3-day time limit?

10.00 p.m. |DTC| Why Build Pyramids?
Pyramids served many purposes throughout history, from a gateway to heaven for Buddhists to a sacrificial altar for Mayans. Learn how the same structure that guarded Pharaoh's treasures in the afterlife served to honor the gods with human sacrifice.

11.00 p.m. |DCIVC|Greece: Journeys to the Gods
dna

11.00 p.m. |HINT| Ancient Egypt: Quest for Immortality
Beneath the sands of Egypt in 1922, Howard Carter prepares to breach the final barrier between the modern world and the most coveted prize in archaeology--the tomb of the Boy-King, Tutankhamun, intact and untouched for thousands of years. Join us as we probe the enduring legacy of the pharaohs in this Emmy Award-winning series narrated by Sam Waterston. Features dramatic reenactments, location footage, and recent archaeological discoveries to help reconstruct the ancient past.
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Thursday, February 24
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4.00 p.m. |DCIVC| The Priests of Amun
dna

5.00 p.m. |DCIVC| The Most Evil Men in History: Caligula
dna

6.00 p.m. |DTC| Finding Atlantis
The search for the lost civilization of Atlantis has captured the imagination for the last 2,000 years. Examine the evidence gathered by three teams, each with its own theory. Discover mysterious links to ancient civilizations lost to time.

7.00 p.m. |HINT|  The Greatest Pharaohs, Pt. 1
A chronicle of the legendary rulers of ancient Egypt and the immense monuments they built to their own greatness. Their wonders include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the temples of Karnak and Luxor, and the treasures of King Tut.

7.00 p.m. |NGU| Egyptian Mummies
Hidden for 25 centuries, a mummy lies among the remains of an elaborately carved coffin. Examine the mysteries surrounding the life and death of this Egyptian official and the secrets his tomb promises to unlock.

8.00 p.m. |DISCU| Pompeii: The Last Day
On August 24, AD 79, Mount Vesuvius showered the city of Pompeii with ash, smoke and rock. The city lay undisturbed under volcanic debris for more than 1,500 years. Follow a compelling account of the city's final 24 hours, based on the buried evidence.

8.00 p.m. |HINT| But Whose Truth Was the Truth?
In Part 3, we examine how heresies emerged, the literature they produced, and the dangers they posed to the early Christian Church. Few have heard of the 50 "other" gospels that circulated in antiquity, including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and writings by Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate. Then, there are countless letters--some of them valid, others dangerously heretical, and a few that nearly made it into the accepted canon. And we learn in this investigation that if these "heresies" had been included in the New Testament, Christianity and our understanding of Christ would be fundamentally different.  
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Friday, February 25
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7.00 p.m. |DTC| The Pyramid of Doom: An Ancient Murder Mystery
Excavations at an ancient pyramid in Peru reveal some 70 skeletons grotesquely splayed across a mud plaza in positions of sudden, violent death. An archaeological team reveals a dark side of one of antiquity's most brilliant civilizations.

7.00 p.m. |DCIVC| Meet The Ancestors: Napoleon's Lost Army
dna

7.00 p.m. |HINT|   Augustus: First of the Emperors
Story of the bloodthirsty leader who was also one of the most able statesmen in world history. His rule launched the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) that marked the high point of the empire.

8.00 p.m. |DTC| Death on the Nile
The Egyptian Empire tottered as the monsoon failed and the desert moved in. Journey to the Giza pyramids in the remote deserts of southern Egypt and visit the archaeological excavation where newly discovered skeletons show that people here died in agony.

9.00 p.m. |DTC| Sodom and Gomorrah
Examine geological clues to a natural disaster responsible for one of the most dramatic apocalyptic events in history. Search for evidence of earthquakes and landslides that sparked the fires that consumed the Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

9.00 p.m. |DISCC|Becoming Alexander
Follow actor Colin Farrell as he prepares to bring Alexander the Great to life on the big screen; the political, military and historical context in which Alexander operated.

10.00 p.m. |DTC| The Maya Collapse
Journey into the heart of the Belize jungle to uncover clues to the demise of an extraordinarily advanced civilization. Could a devastating drought be the cause of the sudden death of millions? Examine the archaeological evidence.
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Saturday, February 26
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5.00 p.m. |HISTC| Beasts of the Roman Games
This program tells the story of how the Romans procured and transported thousands of wild animals from every corner of their Empire to feed the blood-thirsty sensationalism of "to the death" animal fights in Rome.

11.00 p.m. |HISTU|  The Medici Assassination
As head of the powerful 15th-century Florentine family, Lorenzo de' Medici was the ultimate Renaissance man. The leadership of Lorenzo and his family created an atmosphere of culture, sophistication, and wisdom that enabled Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli to flourish artistically. Just as skilled at politics, the wealthy Medici ruled Florence for centuries without holding an office. Their power to bestow and withhold favors made them feared and revered, loved and hated. On April 26, 1478, a gang of men repeatedly attacked Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano with knives in the Duomo cathedral during high Mass. Giuliano died, but a wounded Lorenzo survived. For centuries, historians believed the Pazzi family, Medici banking rivals, were at the center of the complex plot. Now, Dr. Marcello Simonetta, a historian at Wesleyan University, offers a shocking twist. Did the Pazzi Conspiracy include a much broader range of perpetrators, reaching all the way to the Vatican?
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Sunday, February 27
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7.00 p.m. |HINT|  Time Team: Thetford, Norfolk
Time Team goes back to school when they are invited to investigate a mystery at Thetford Grammar School in Norfolk, England, where clues in the school grounds may lead to the remains of a Norman cathedral and prove that the site might also have been the ancient ecclesiastical center of East Anglia. They are also assigned another task: to trace the origins of the medieval walls in the school playground. Were they part of a 14th-century friary? Can they solve the mysteries in the 3-day time limit?
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                        Channel Guide

A&E     The Arts and Entertainment Channel (cable)
DTC     Discovery Times Channel (U.S. Cable)*
DCIVC   Discovery Civilization (Canadian Cable)
DISCC   Discovery Channel (Canadian Cable)
DISCU   Discovery Channel (U.S. Cable)
HINT    History International (U.S. Cable)
HISTU   The History Channel (U.S. Cable)
HISTC   History Television (Canadian Cable)
NGU     National Geographic Channel (U.S. Cable)*
PBS     Public Broadcasting System (U.S. National Schedule)
TLC     The Learning Channel (cable)

*n.b. Canadian versions of these two channels have recently
been made available although the Canadian versions don't seem
to be making their schedules available yet. For what it's worth,
the Canadian version does seem to 'match up' in regards to
ancient programming most of the time.
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::Sunday, February 20, 2005 11:33:15 AM::
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